Candy interview

Candy is an alternative metal band, or a modern rock act as they like to call themselves. They are coming out from Malaysia, and are active since 1992.

Listen to Candy while reading the interview:

Candy was born in 1992. How did it all begin?
Well, it started even before that. As an early teenager, Mary’s father taught her to play guitar, she then bullied her sister Connie into playing the biscuit tins for accompaniment and they had a friend who could play keyboards and another who was made to play bass, it just started from there, various members got replaced in the early days, it just happened we were all girls. We started playing in Sarawak as Sapphire Gals then G-Saphia. When we first moved to Kuala Lumpur from Sarawak, we didn’t know what to call ourselves…the recording company wanted a commercial name which can easily be remembered. I got the idea on the name Candy when we watched the Archies singing Sugar Sugar on tv. We thought of Candy Girl, then we decided to stick with just Candy. Candy suits us….sweet but hard, right?

And what is the band status right now, what is Candy involved in today?
We have completed our album “Absolute” and are now starting to play some smaller gigs, building back up to the larger ones and a possible tour. We are also negotiating a distribution deal locally with a major label – although we will remain independent. Our album is already available internationally by post or download from cdbaby in the USA, ( http://cdbaby.com/cd/candymalaysia) mp3′s will be available from other outlets such as iTunes, rhapsody, napster etc. soon.

But it was not until 1997 that you released your first self titled album, “Candy”. Which was Candy’s activity during this first five years of history?
We were playing shows in Sarawak – which is the Malaysian part of Borneo, (and had day jobs too!) our first manager discovered us and bought us over to Kuala Lumpur to make our first album and we never went back (except for holidays!!)

“Candy” release went pretty well, 60.000 records sold and a platinum album. You travelled to Singapore and Indonesia, and then you were one of the nominees for “Best New Artiste” in “Anugerah Industri Muzik” in 1998, the Malaysian grammys. Were you surprised with such this feedback, how do you recall this days?
If you had told us a year before hand, we would never have believed you!! we’d never have dreamed it. But as it happened, it was a progression, kind of like a snowball rolling down a mountain. We hit some rocks, and bits fell off, but in general one thing led to another and although we were always delighted and excited as new things came along, it wasn’t so much a suprise..like I said it was a progression.

What do you mean “bits fell off?”
Well, most of the time things were going really well, we’d be in TV studios, radio interviews, then suddenly we’d end up in a muddy field playing through a lousy sound system at a fair ground, I guess to say bits fell off isn’t really fair because it gave us a great opportunity to meet the fans, but after the comfort of TV studios, and the luxuries of the Indonesian tour, the fair grounds were a stark contrast, but well worth doing.

And then it came the “Hot” EP, but it took ten years for you to release the next album “Absolute… Candy”. Why? What happened in these ten years?
We were playing for most of it, but not so often. We changed bassist and then manager and so things were pretty quiet for a while, Pat and Mary got married, but that didn’t stop them! Then Nancy the bassist re-joined and for the last two years we have been working on the album, we originally thought it would take 6 months!

In “Absolute… Candy” you decided to produce and compose everything yourself. Weren’t you satisfied with the past albums? Or was it just a matter that you felt like doing it yourselves to do it completely your way, absolutely… Candy?
The first album, we were completely happy with, the second album we liked, but we were pushed to a heavier sound than we wanted, and as it didn’t sell as well, we assume the fans preferred the first album. So this time we wanted to do what WE wanted to do. We had been quiet for a long time and so we didn’t have to build on the last two albums, we could do what we wanted. For instance would never have been allowed to do a three four time by a record company on a rock album!! As it happens the first album is more our style, so the poppy song “Kerana Dia” does have a similar feel to “Akkanku Tunggu”..but that is part of our style, so no apologies.

Your sound differs from song to song, but it keeps a hard rock basis, sometimes a bit alternative, sometimes poppy and sometimes a bit heavy. How would you define your sound?
(Laughing) I’m glad the hard rock basis comes through!! Guitar oriented songs are our favorites. To answer your question – There are a couple of reasons for that. The first is that we all wrote at least one of the melodies, so our individual taste comes out and contrasts. We are a rock band and we like rock and we like heavy….. but we also like melody, Connie for instance wrote the ¾ which is not really rock, but with the lead breaks in it I think it qualifies!! The second reason is that if you expect people to listen to an album from beginning to end, you need variety, especially these days when people tend to hit shuffle on their ipod and get completely contrasting songs one after the other, or buy compiltion albums, going back to the 70′s these didn’t exist (as far as we know) so people were happy to listen to a complete album. Times have changed.

In your music we find the alternative edge, some pop, even heavy flashes. Which are your main influences?
As you said the sound differs from song to song, and our influences are also quiet diverse, from Deep Purlpe, Iron Maiden, Metallica, The Killers, Joan Jett to Avril Lavinge to Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette…and many more.

You come from Malaysia. How is its metal scene, is it easy for a metal band to get the media and fan attention?
The metal scene has die hard fans, but is very much underground, it is rare to see metal on TV. Hence there are a few magazines catering to it, but not the main stream.

Is there any problem to get a busy gig schedule in your country?
There are not as many outlets that have live music as there used to be, and of course not everyone likes rock (one day they’ll see the light!) but when we play we get a great response. There are plenty of offers to do a three month booking at a hotel or bar, but we’re not that kind of band, we want to play our stuff and the covers WE like, and that is what our fans like so we do a night here, a night there etc. maybe once a week or once a month in the same place.

And are you pioneers in being an all-female band in your country? I think you entered the Guinness book of records because of this. Is there any other Malaysian all-female band following your steps?
Actually it was the Malaysian Book of Records. Female bands-There have been a few over the years, but none of them lasted long.

And why did you decide to be an all-female band. Was it on purpose, you deliberately wanted to make a female band? Or was it just a coincidence?
More coincidence. Having made a name for ourselves we had to stay all girl, which is fine with us.

Do you think that being an all-female act opens you some doors? It makes it easier to attract new fans?
Definitely it opens doors, but if you don’t have the ability once the door is opened…it will be shut firmly again. It gives us an opportunity….like a good CV will get you the job interview, but you still have to prove yourself at the interview. I am not sure if it makes it easier to attract new fans, probably a bit. The guys of course, and quite often the girls seem to feel proud , I don’t know, a kind of ‘girl thing’

Which are your real expectations for the future?
We would of course like the album to be a success, we would like to tour internationally, or at least get the opportunity to play in other countries. Then release another album. We would like to be well known outside Malaysia for our own satisfaction, and also to let people know that there are good talents in Malaysia, it is a country that probably doesn’t spring to mind when you think of music.

Tell the readers why they should check Candy
I think as you mentioned earlier, there is a variety of tracks on the album ranging from almost pop to almost heavy (at least the guitar breaks!!) but with a common hard rock theme and with melody, so if you like rock, and you like melody – please check it out.

Candy’s Myspace

DödsÄngel interview

DödsÄngel is the Swedish word to refer to the “Angel of Death”, and is also the name of the solo project of the prolific Canadian-Norwegian Trish. She talks to metaladies.com about her bands and specially her solo project.

Listen to DödsÄngel while reading the interview:

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Welcome to metaladies, and congratulations for “Helgrind”. First of all, Trish, are you still involved in four bands from three different countries, apart than working in DödsÄngel? How do you manage to make it work out?
I am originally from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and played in several punk bands when I lived there but they are not active anymore, the latest one was WARSYSTEM. The first time I traveled to Sweden in 2006 I was asked to play drums for Swedish punk band KÄFTSMÄLL, we recorded some demos but have not practiced in a long time. I moved to Oslo, Norway in 2007 to play drums for a black-doom-metal band SKITLIV, but after the got another drummer I joined GATE TO KHAOS (Oslo thrash-black metal), which was more suitable to my style and musical preferences. With regard to HINSIDES, the Gothenburg black metal band, we don’t get to practice very much due to the long-distance relationship (it is four hours by bus from Oslo to Gothenburg), but we have one Demo CD and are working on a full-length album. My solo project, DÖDSÄNGEL is perfect because it doesn’t matter where I live, I will always be writing songs and practicing as long as I have a guitar. I have been asked to try out for several more bands in both Sweden and Norway but we’ll have to see if that works out and if I find time…

Explain a little bit your role in each band, and define their styles.
In my solo project, DÖDSÄNGEL, I play everything and it is blackmetal mixed with hardcore punk. In my other bands I play drums: GATE TO KHAOS is Norwegian black metal combined with thrash metal, HINSIDES is Swedish black metal, KÄFTSMÄLL is Swedish D-beat raw punk.

And how being in such this amount of bands did you feel the need to make a project by your own?
I like the music and styles produced by all of my bands, but I still always think up new riffs and songs in my head. These riffs wouldn’t really fit in with any of my other bands, and besides the guitar players in those bands prefer to write all the guitar riffs. So therefore I felt the need to record these songs myself where I have creative control over all aspects of the music, and since I play everything and know how I wanted everything to sound it would be pointless and counter-productive to try to recruit other members.

So, did you need DödsÄngel to fully express yourself?
Absolutely, in my other bands I have control over what I play on the drums but it is the others who write the music. With DödsÄngel it is I who writes all the music for all the instruments and I have control over everything, the only way I could truly get the sound I want is to do this project.

What do your lyrics talk about? I can figure out than being alone they should have an introspective component.
The lyrics deal with very disturbing things, but things that are often in my thoughts, for example war, death, environmental destruction, and hatred for the majority of humanity.

In DödsÄngel you’ve melt various music styles from your musical and geographical background. The black metal from Norway and the Punk/Hardcore the way it’s more common in north America. The result is a sound with your own trademark. How would you describe it?
I am actually much more influenced by Swedish punk than American punk, American punk was something I listened to 10 years ago in my early teenage years before I discovered the better and heavier punk bands from Sweden. But there are still several American bands I listen to, but most of the bands in that country are fairly generic and lack-luster. I am of course influenced by Scandinavian black metal, and especially by Swedish D-beat punk, there are many Swedish (and also some Finnish, English and Japanese) punk bands who blend in metal influences with their music. I would describe my sound as “blackmetalpunk”, it is my favourite genre of music.

And wich are the bands you would compare such this particular sound with, your main influences?
My very favourite bands in the world of metal and punk, which influenced me the most to start this project, are Swedish punk bands like Skitsystem, Wolfpack, Martyrdöd, Anti-Cimex, and of course Discharge from England. The black metal bands would be the more grim, melodic, necro-sounding ones like Sargeist from Finland, Armagedda (Ond Spiritism album) and Arckanum from Sweden, and Burzum (first 4 albums), Darkthrone (mostly Transilvanian Hunger + Panzerfaust), and Gorgoroth (Pentagram + Antichrist) from Norway.

You started playing drums. Later you learned to play bass and guitar. A metal orchestra–woman. Do you feel comfortable with all of them? You still have the keyboards left…
I am a much better drummer than I am guitar and bass player, and I prefer to play drums in bands and practice drums over the other instruments. Still, I am becoming better and better at all instruments. I would have recorded sooner but I wanted to wait until I practiced guitar and bass more, otherwise I would be wasting time in the studio. I have no desire to play keyboards, the music I want to create doesn’t contain any synth, although a little bit in a few certain other bands can sound good and create an extra atmosphere around the music. I used to play classical piano, I want to take it up again, but finding enough time (and a piano) is a problem…

Are you planning to take DödsÄngel onstage, any thought of how to do it?
No, then I would have to find and train guest musicians, which would take time, and I don’t think it would be right to have others play my songs. This project is more for myself, songs that were constantly in my head that I needed to get out through recording them, it is something that people should listen to on record, not something that should be watched in a live setting.

Tell us a bit about the “Helgrind” recording process. Are you happy with its final result?.
I recorded it in DeathCult Studios in Edmonton, Canada in less than a week, it is the home-studio of an old metalhead friend of mine and several other Canadian metal bands have recorded there. He is good at recording, hard working, and experienced at what he does and understood completely the sound I was looking for.

Internet is a powerful tool, so the best way to promote DödsÄngel and get in touch with the fans. How has been the feedback to “Helgrind” so far?
So far I’ve received a lot of good feedback about the recording, especially through myspace. Another propaganda tool is giving/selling/trading demos withing the metal and punk scenes at shows, partys or bars. Pretty much everyone that has heard the music has let me know they’re very impressed, and the demand for my CD is pretty large already.

Are you still searching for a record label, has the demo helped to get any offer? What do you expect from a record label?
I have been very busy lately since recording, with job searching and work in Norway so I havent’t yet had time to send the demos out to any labels yet. I am still unsure as to which labels would be worthwhile sending it to, as the music may be “too punk” for many pure metal labels and “too metal” for many punk labels. I want a label that caters to both styles of music and music fans and has a good distribution and also will do a good job of promoting the albums.

Which is the next step DödsÄngel will take? What’s next in your schedule?
I am just relieved to finally have this Demo recorded, I will hopefully find a label soon interested in either releasing the Demo as an album or else will agree to release the next thing I record. I have been working on a couple new songs already but that is not at the top of my list of priorities right now. But hopefully by the end of this year or maybe early next year I will have enough songs for another full length album.

And which are your expectations for DödsÄngel?
There are no expectations really, many people play music to “make it big” or try to make money, but that’s not for me. As stated, I write and record songs mostly for myself, or else I would go insane with the amount of riffs going around in my head. If people like it then that’s awesome, but if they can neither appreciate nor understand me and my music then fuck them. But I do hope to get signed to a decent label which would spread the name out there and give many people the opportunity to hear the music that otherwise wouldn’t have.

Tell the readers why DödsÄngel is worth to listen, and why they shold check “Helgrind” out.
The songs I record are a part of me, they are my life, my “soul”, that is if I have a soul, cold, dark, brutal and evil.

Trish, thank you so much for answering, good luck!

Read more about DödsÄngel

Aythis interview

Aythis is Carline Van Roos solo project, who also serves on the doom bands Lethian Dreams and Remembrance. We talk to her about their musical conceptions and band history.

Listen to Aythis while reading the interview:

Hi Carline. First of all thank you very much for your attention. Aythis is a one woman project. Was and is it intended to be always like this?
Hi Hector. I can’t really say for the future, but for now, yes it is a “solo project”. As I have other bands, I have the need to be alone in Aythis. Aythis is very introspective musically as well as lyrically. Also, concerning the composition, being alone gives me total freedom. I can work at my own speed, everything depends on me.

You play in two other bands, Lethian Dreams and Remembrance. Is Aythis an escape, a place to really express yourself? A necessary complement to your other bands?
I express myself in Remembrance and Lethian Dreams, but as I said above Aythis is very introspective. It is also a necessary complement in a musical point of view, yes. I don’t only listen to metal, so I thought it was somehow natural for me to have a project that wouldn’t involve death vocals and heavy guitars. I created Aythis for the same reasons that, sometimes you’re in the mood to listen to doom metal, sometimes death metal or other times ethereal music. In my case it’s the same for the composition. It depends on my mood, my state of mind. Sometimes I need to create wild or desperate music, other times sadness or ethereal, atmospheric sounds. In a lyrical point of view, I can talk about total different subjects, some again that are more personal and that I wouldn’t have wanted to talk about in my bands.

Just tell me how did it all started.
Aythis came to light in 2006 and the first song that made it all start is Shallow Blackout. After writing this song, I realized that I really loved writing this style of music, ethereal/neoclassical…then I decided to keep on exploring!

I’ve tried to describe your music as atmospheric, beautifully sad, as melancholic as terrific, the soundtrack of a funeral on a rainy day. Did I get the point?
Well, I’m flattered by your description! I think everybody can have its own interpretation. If people are able to feel my music, it’s the only thing that is important to me. I always write my lyrics in an elusive way so that people can be free to travel wherever they want to while they’re listening.

Your music is related to metal music, as your musical background, and your listener profile is mainly metaller. Can you explain where the connection between your music and metal is?
Many metallers listen to dark music, even if the music isn’t metal. Another reason is, as you mentioned it, that I have 2 metal bands, so we share some fans.

You need to feel in a specific mood to write such these songs. What sentence fits better to your composing process: “I feel sad, melancholic so I need to write about it” ? or “I have to write, so let’s think in something that makes me feel sad and melancholic to be in the mood”?
I don’t write music if I don’t have anything to express. If I have nothing to say, I stay silent. I’m not being original by saying this, but I use music as therapy, as a way to escape, as a way to express my feelings. I would be lost without music.

There are many girls/women doing solo projects, and most of them making dark ambient music or experimental, as Turdus Merula, Coldnight, Branigan, Terra Teratos, Lidande, Melencolia Estatica. Do you know any of them?
I know Lidande, yes. The woman behind this project is a friend of mine. Unfortunately I don’t know the others.

And why this little “phenomenon”, all these women composing/playing “alone”? Is this a kind of music better to do on your own? Is it so personal to share with other?
I don’t know. Actually I never noticed that there were so many women composing alone. I know why I do music alone (I explained it above) but I don’t know why the others do it. I guess the reasons are different for everybody.

Do you think yours is a music that could be played alive? Any plans for this?
I guess I will need to adapt the songs a little bit first, but I would love to bring Aythis on stage. As it’s a solo project I will also need to find additional musicians to make it be possible.

You’ve got your MySpace, your own web page, and your facebook group. How important is internet for Aythis? Internet is one of the best ways nowadays to make your music heard. I didn’t get much promotion from Paradigms Recordings (the label that released Doppelgänger) so I needed to promote Aythis mostly by myself and internet is a very good way to do so.
Also, having a Myspace/Facebook group allows me to keep in touch with the listeners. I try to always answer to the messages or comments that people send me.

Tell me about your recordings. Aythis born in 2006, and in 2007 you had a label contract and one record released, “Doppelgänger”. It’s gone too fast, how did you get Paradigms Recordings attention?
When I completed the recordings of my first album, Doppelgänger, I sent few promo copies to different labels and Paradigms Recordings was one of the first to answer positive. As they said they were about to contact me, I understood we were on the same wavelength so I decided to sign with them.

But if it went too fast, we can’t say the same about the recording process. It took eight months for you to have the record ready. Why such this long time?
It took me 8 months because I was in unknown territory, if I can say it this way. By unknown territory, I mean, I wasn’t decided of which sound to use. I needed time to figure it all out. I didn’t want to have the exact same sound as I’m using on Remembrance, so I wanted to use special sounds for Aythis. Also, the composition is included in those 8 months. I wrote different versions for some songs, recording new versions take time.

Before this, you recorded the unreleased “With The Dreary Words We Speak”. From the three songs appearing there, two are appearing in “Doppelgänger”, but one has gone to the lost files box, “Too Far Gone”. Just a curiosity, why haven’t you added this one to the record?
This song is a little bit different from the other songs featuring on Doppelgänger. It is more like a mantra, if I can say so. The lyrics come from a tale that I invented, so I thought that “Too Far Gone” was a song somehow less personal than the others. I decided not to use it. Maybe I will re-arrange it for a future album or use it for a compilation or something like that. Or maybe it is just meant to remain unreleased…

And now have released your second LP, “Glacia” with it’s a bit different but keeping the Aythis intimist basis. What can you tell about it?
The album has been relesed under the great French label “Prikosnovénie/Nove”. Glacia’s production is more professional as it was been mixed and mastered in studio -Doppelgänger was mixed by myself-. Regarding the compositions, I think I improved on the style, I worked hard on every little detail… Glacia paints a picture of wintry, icy and desolated landscapes. There are in fact 2 major themes in this álbum. The main theme being Nature and Winter, the second theme being The Travel. In both cases the lyrics are metaphoric. The Travel can be interpreted as a physical journey or as a spiritual journey. I hope people will enjoy listening to the cd as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Thank you so much for attending me, good luck with your music/life!
Thanks to you Hector for supporting Aythis. It was a pleasure to answer to your questions. I wish you also all the best!

Read more about Aythis

Atomic Blonde interview

This band from Nashville practices a good quality hard rock with some garage/punk sparks. It’s time to know a bit more about this promising female quartet.

Listen to Atomic Blonde while reading the interview:

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It seems that things are going pretty well to Atomic Blonde. In which situation is the band right now, what are you currently involved in?
We’re independent artists working without a record label at the current time. We can record what we want, travel where we want to, and do enjoy the freedom of that. Our focus right now is to write more songs and to have fun doing our thing.

I’m a bit lost with such this amount of labels to identify music. Your music, a mix of power and melody, is “officially” classified as a mix between Hard Rock and Active Rock. Can you tell me the characteristics of Active Rock, and which bands could be labeled like this?
We’ve always been confused how to answer the “what genre is your band” question. We are unsure ourselves, so we asked industry people, friends, and other bands what they thought. Nobody can give us a straight answer, however virtually ever press kit and website requires a band to give themselves a label. We’re not metal enough to be Metallica, but too heavy to be considered “Alternative”. We’re too modern to be classic or hard rock, and have too fast of tempos to be “Modern Rock”. Active rock is actually a radio format used by commercial radio stations in the United States. Active rock stations play both “modern” and “classic” rock bands, blending bands like Metallica with Hinder, Seether and Breaking Benjamin, Fly Leaf, Hoobastank, Etc. Basically if you mixed them all together(like the Stations do), you get a sound like Atomic Blonde.

You started as a band in 2004. How did it all started?
We all had previous band experience with guys, and all felt as though we wanted to be in a group with other females. Dacia, while still living in Arkansas, placed an ad in the Nashville paper looking for band mates. Kendra, who had already moved from Ohio to Nashville, saw the ad and contacted her. Dacia moved up to Nashville and together they started looking for new members. They found me (Danielle) online through bulletin board postings, and asked me to move from New York to Nashville for the band as well. After our first guitar player Amber left, we discovered Fran working as a bartender at Coyote Ugly, up on the bar playing her guitar solo for the whole place.

You changed your name from Glass Lily to Atomic Blonde. This second name fits better with your style. It shows the contrast between your music and your look. It seems that you are working hard in these two aspects.
Yes we realized that Glass Lily, although a great name, made us sound like we’re frail and fragile, and not rock at all. We were getting booked with acoustics acts, and everyone kept asking which one of us were named “Lily”. We decided we had to change the name of the band. It took us months to decide on the name, but we think it fits us well.

In 2005 you won a contest among 12,000 bands. Which is the mechanic of this contest? Do all the bands play live in front of a jury? And what was the prize?
Ernie Ball’s battle of the bands changes every year. That particular year it was decided on votes from the public. The contest was largely online, and people registered on the Ernie Ball website, listened to whatever bands they chose, and voted for the group they felt was the best. The contest came down pretty close actually, within a dozen votes(and this was out of 100,000). As for the prize we received lots of press from Ernie Ball, tons of Electro-Voice Microphones, M-Audio and Auralex; a 210 Taylor Guitar; a guitar and bass from OLP; Remo Drumheads; Zildjian cymbals and sticks; a Boss ME-50 Guitar Multiple Effects floor-based, multi-effects processor; and hundreds of guitar and bass strings.

One of your songs was considered to appear in a Walt Disney’s movie (probably not “Babydoll” . Which was the song selected, how does it sound, and what happened at the end with this story?
Our song “Fire Me Up” was selected to appear in a racing scene of Disney’s “Herbie: Fully Loaded” (2005). The song itself was recorded in our first few months together as a band, and had a rather poppy feel to it. The song was cut from the movie at the last minute(along with all other songs selected for the soundtrack) and replaced with some retro-oldie hits. We did not put that song on our recent EP, nor do we play it live. We just don’t feel it has the raw vibe that the rest of our songs have. The song can still be heard in “Icer Air 2005″ sporting event promotional videos, and on some fan clips on youtube.com.

You’re gaining multimedia attention, from magazines to radio and TV stations. But it seems that Internet is one of your most powerful weapons to get known. How much do you have to thank internet for your success?
I think our success is hugely due to the internet. It has really opened a lot of doors for us, and has allowed us to share our music with a much wider audience. It speeds up the booking process, and has gotten us a lot of industry attention. We’re glad to be a part of the digital revolution, and love being able to connect with fans so easily.

In 2007 Amber left the band. Was it easy to get another female guitar player? Being a female musician was mandatory?
Upon Amber’s departure from the band, the remaining three of us discussed the possibility of having a guy step into the band. We were not opposed to it, but we had already met Fran and she volunteered quite readily for an audition. Fran had been to a few of our shows before, and had learned most of our songs by herself before her audition. She showed energy and determination for the group, and could write some mean solos. We were impressed with her as a person, and not because of her gender.

And what has Fran brought to the Atomic Blonde sound? She is not present in the current recordings, so you (and specially) she, must be willing to enter the studio to show her mark.
Amber is a phenomenal writer and extremely solid rhythmically on guitar, however Fran has added to this sound with a great solo-lead element. She was taught by her father, a blues guitarist, and that can really be heard in her solos. It really livens up our songs both on stage and in the studio. We’ve recorded a few demo tracks with her, but are waiting to officially release quality recordings on to a full length album. We have plenty of video clips posted online for any curious eyes and ears, and we believe she holds her own in the male dominated scene quite well.

You’ve got some songs recorded under one self-titled album. Which is the Atomic Blonde composing process?
Usually Dacia or Fran come up with a riff or two and play it for the group. Together we form the music of verses, choruses, bridges, etc. and record them down. Dacia will write a vocal line over the recording, and then we all get back together and finish up the details of the song.

And what about the lyrics? What do they want to transmit? Are they specially oriented to a certain age, gender or profile?
Dacia, the vocalist, writes most of the group’s lyrics. She writes songs on certain moods and feelings she has. A lot of people can relate to the lyrics, and are not meant to be listened to by any specific age or genre.

What can we expect from Atomic Blonde in this 2009? And for the years to come, which are your expectations? How do you see Atomic Blonde in 2015?
We’re going to be getting back into the studio in 2009 and working on a full length album. We’re not sure the album name or exact direction its going to go, but that is half the fun. You’ll also be seeing us playing around several U.S. states, and hearing us more on the radio.

Which band would you like to share stage with, and which is the one you’ve already have enjoyed the most onstage, as opening act or jamming?
We’d love to share the stage with many groups; Killswitch Engage, Avenged Sevenfold, Lacuna Coil, etc., would fit our style. However, if it was ever humanly possible to open for DethKlok, we’d SO do that.

Do you know any other young all-female bands worth to take a look/listen?
The girls from Level-C are great

And do you think there is a sort of a competition between all-female bands, or the opposite, there’s a sense of companion, of living the same, of helping each other.
Just like the camaraderie found in the metal brotherhood, we the metal sisters unite as well. It’s a male dominated industry, and there’s not a lot of us around. We’ve connected with several all-female bands, and continue to communicate with them. However, we have personally ran into a couple of all-female punk groups that had the typical girly “catty” attitude towards us. We’re not here to compete, we’re here for the music.

Try to explain the reader why they should listen to Atomic Blonde.
Atomic Blonde is a refreshing change from the usual. Its a unique blending of heavy music genres, all wrapped up with some tremendous vocals that range from sexy and melodic, to anger-management worthy.

Cadukeya

Fatima Tajic’s solo project, who after playing in several bands decided to unleash her creativity without restraints and impositions. A guitar student since she was very young, she didn’t decide to exploit their skills until the age of 15, after discovering the great “Disintegration” album by The Cure.

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Country: Germany
History: 2005 – Present
Status: Active
Style: Gothic metal

Biography:
Fatima Tajic’s solo project, who after playing in several bands decided to unleash her creativity without restraints and impositions. A guitar student since she was very young, she didn’t decide to exploit their skills until the age of 15, after discovering the great “Disintegration” album by The Cure.

She regained the electric guitar and began to create her own riffs, never leaving the gloom that inspired Robert Smiths’s band. She joined several gothic and death bands, playing the guitar and singing. Her most serious and long experience was being part of Atavisma, with whom she spent a year and a half.

But Fatima was determined to find her own sound, and decided to fly alone. Cadukeya born in 2005, developing a gothic ambiented style that mixes melancholy with guitar riffs.

Lineup:
Fatima Tajic – Vocals, all instruments, programming

Related links:
Cadukeya @ Facebook
Cadukeya @ Myspace
Cadukeya Official Site

Angels Australian tour

The Croatian band Angels announce first dates for the Australian tour are now official. This are the dates when you can see the girls live:

This is the promotional video for the tour:

Check their myspace for further dates and details

Fates Fury interview

This female trio was formed back in 2005 as Dopegirl. They released and album, but changed the name to better fit with their actitude. Metaladies talked to them about the band and their next album.

Listen to Fates Fury while reading the interview:

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First of all, I think you are in the process of composition/recording of a new record. How are the things going?
Things are going great, we’re so hyped about the new material and really looking forward to the new album.

This will be the first under the name of Fates Fury. The name change seems like a band’s rebirth. How important has been for you?
Extremely important. The other name was an old name and an old band. This is something we all came up with and something that represents all of us.

Fates Fury is an all-female trio. Was it intended to be like this since the beginning? Both aspects, all-female and three musicians?
No, it wasn’t planned from the beginning it just ended up that way. We have all played with other people, male and female, but just jamming around. And as we got tighter we were pretty insistent on keeping it a power trio.

Do you thing being all-female will open you more doors than it will close?
Yes absolutely. We do think being chicks could help, but overall our music will be the door opener.

And you are working hard to make you be known in your city. But we are talking about Los Angeles and its scene, a tough one. Is it working out?
Music scene is tough in general, but so far it’s been pretty good in L.A. Everyone has really been supportive and made us feel right at home on stage.

Because living in a city like yours has its advantages and inconvenient. You have plenty of resources to expose your music, but there are lots of bands running the same race. Which is Fates Fury best trick to shine among it all?
I really believe that we are just ourselves. No tricks really. We go up there and rock as hard as we can. We’re just three girls in jeans that get on stage and pour it out-straight forward, no gimmicks. It’s all about loving what we do and it shows in our playing.

How is the LA scene health nowadays? What’s left from their golden years?
It’s good. There’s still a lot of great places to play and hang out and see some old rock star buddies. L.A.’s badass! But yes it’s a lot different from the way it used to be. I think a lot of bands are too worried about their look, trying to be like everyone else out there which doesn’t make them stand out. Back in the day bands had a look of their own and had more fun with it as opposed to buying the ‘look’ at Hot Topic and take themselves way too seriously.

Your music sounds like fitting pretty well there. With punk roots, a hard rock basis with a metal edge, and a predominant sense of melody. How would you describe Fates Fury music?
Fates Fury to us is Dark & Sexy, a melodic edge and punk rock vibe really sets the tone.

Which is the musical background of you three? And your main influences?
We have all played and trained with many musicians during the years…Our influences are: Vocals: Concrete Blonde/Garbage, Drummer: Ramones/Foo Fighters, Bass: Danzig/Type O Negative.

And what are your lyrics trying to transmit, what are them about? They are turning darker in your second release.
Our lyrics are really about us or our experiences. A lot of times we talk about something significant in our lives and Jerrica translates them into songs. But I think we all add a bit of ourselves to the lyrics. The darker lyrics and music is something we have wanted to do from the beginning. We have our metal/punk roots and now that we are more matured in our writing I think the music will now come across exactly how we want it to.

What can you advance from this second one? Will it be much different from your debut album?
From the second album you can expect a lot more growth in the music and lyrics. Our first one we just wanted to get done and have something to show we could do. Now we are a lot more focused on the music and making it come across exactly how we want it.

You’ve got a MySpace profile. Is it internet as important as to go out and play to promote yourselves?
Yes the internet is extremely important. We have access to thousands of people we would of never gotten to talk to and promote to. We made quite a lot of contacts online and the internet is essential for getting yourselves out to the masses.

Which are your plans for the near future, the next step Fates Fury will do?
Our next step is to record this album, play some shows in town and then start reaching outward bound. We hope to go on tour and play a lot more outside of L.A.

Tell the readers why Fates Fury is a band worth to give an opportunity.
Fates Fury is…Just three hard working musicians that happened to be girls and are after the same goals: To have a good time, represent where were coming from and to ROCK!

Read more about Fates Fury
Christina Poison @ Metaladies.com

Meet Crucified Barbara

Crucified Barbara are coming to Spain to present their impressive “Till Death Do Us Party”, an acclaimed hard rock album with a metal edge, with killer tracks as “Killer On His Knees”, “Sex Action”, “Dark Side” or “Jennyfer” (new single).

TIL DEATH DO US PARTY TOUR 2009
NOVEMBER 2009

24 Bilbao (Kafe Antzoki)
25 Madrid (Gruta 77)
26 Valencia (Sala Durango)
27 Barcelona (Sala Mephisto)

Rock In Spain and Suffer offer you the opportunity to be one of the ten lucky rockers to know them at the backstage.

Visit Rock In Spain to learn how.

Black Widows interview

With a style marked by the combination of gothic and black metal, the portuguese Black Widows has been over ten years fighting to gain a spot in the scene. Rute Fevereiro talks about the band’s history and current whereabouts.

Listen to Black Widows while reading the interview:

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Hi Rute, obrigado for attending me. First of all, which is the current Black Widows status? Are you working in new material, playing some gigs?
Hola Hector, I’m sorry if I’m only answering you now. But I have been extremely busy in studio, and rarely have some free time. Now my time is all for you and the interview! Black Widows are working and getting ready to record an EP. We have new songs, new band members and we are focusing now on writing songs. There has been some invitations to play live, and we might accept some, but for the moment, our main priority is to record.

They’ve passed almost seven years since your last record, “Sweet… The Hell”. What has the band been doing since then?
Well, unfortunately we had to change members for a few times and that has taken us some precious time. But for now we are settled for three female members and two awesome boys who have started as guest musicians but were ‘kidnapped’ to be part of the band.:P

And still searching for a permanent female drummer. How is the search going?
The searched has stopped. We are playing with João Monteiro, an awesome male drummer who plays really loud, like hell. We hope not to disappoint our fans but for the moment we are standing as a simple metal band with just good musicians.

You’ve always kept Black Widows as an all-female metal band, hiring male drummers as session musicians. Is Black Widows intented to be an all-female band, is part of the concept?
Well, I think I answered this one in the question before. It’s hard to find good female musicians in Portugal. Usually we had to wait for them to learn to play well. So we’ve decided that the priority was for the band to have good musicians regardless the gender.

And why did you decide to create an all-female band? Which are they profits and disadvantages?
Well, that was in 1995. I think that it was very interesting to explore the female creativity, which is different from the male creativity. Both are good and very nice. That is the good part of the question. Of course that an all female band draws more attention upon the band, however the big disadvantage is to get professional female musicians. There are a few number of women playing here. It’s not easy…

In Black Widows there have passed at least thirteen musicians. Why is it that difficult to keep a solid lineup?
As said, the problem of getting professional female musicians. Some don’t play well enough, don’t take this seriously enough. Unfortunately we have to face the facts and move on with a good band.

Let’s try to define your style. Is mainly gothic metal combined with black elements. How would you describe Black Widows music?
Honestly, I think that I am the last person capable of answering this question. It is definitely metal but apart from that I cannot define. I invite our fans and listeners to leave a comment on myspace about what they think of this!

Your music combines three kinds of voices, black, clean and operatic. Do you sing the three of all?.
Yes, lol, I’m a female version of King Diamond! LOL.

And what do you lyrics talk about, trying to transmit?
Death and life after death. I’m obsessed about these issues. They also talk about the meaning of life and my experiences and feelings.

It’s a fact that the best known Portuguese bands, as Moonspell have a dark edge. Has Portugal got a strong gothic scene?
Yes, I think so. There are lots of metal fans that also like gothic music. There are also some good bands with gothic influences.

There are many successful bands playing gothic metal, as Lacuna Coil, After Forever, Epica … All of them different musically, but as you with a gothic basis. What do you thing is left for Black Widows to become as popular as them? Which is the next step?
I think that there should be several steps, such as: good songs, catchy band image, a hardworking manager, a well known record label, and lots and lots of promotion. This is the only way, I’m afraid…

Black Widows history has undergone two bad moments, in 1999 and in 2004. By different causes, they led to the band to stop working. What made you decide to retake the band again in both cases? You’ll never surrender.
Exactly: I’ll never surrender. Many people want to see me down or quitting. I have a message for them: YOU CAN’T BRING ME DOWN!

And how is the band health and mood now? Which are your expectations for a near future?
We are excited to record the new songs and also expecting the reactions about the songs and the band’s change of members. You have the privilege to be the first to know all this! ( just to make you up for such delay in answering this interview).

During one of this stops you started EnChanTya. Which are they similarities with Black Widows? Is it a complement or a substitute?
None of those. EnChanTya was created by me to be a band to play a different style that I could never play in BW because it didn’t fit at that time. Fortunately, the enchanted boys also contribute a lot in creating new songs or improving my songs and the result has been surprisingly good. I cannot find similarities or differences between EnChanTya and BW, but I definitely have the chance to pay more attention to my vocal performance in Enchantya as I don’t play guitar in this band. We are recording our debut album at the moment and you can make your opinion in the end of the year, when it will be released.

Have you got a busy gig schedule? Is there a good concert circuit in Portugal?
Not really, we are focusing on recording. In Portugal, there are some bars, especially near Lisbon and Oporto. And there are some summer and winter Fests. I’d like myself to see more places to play…

Tell the reader what is worth to go and check one of your concerts.
Well, we will surely unleash hell…So, if you like the songs and the album, join us, and I’m sure you’ll headbang a lot. I’ll surely do.

Thank you so much for answering, goof luck with all your projects!
Thank you for the interview.

Read more about Black Widows

Motor Wilson

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